Court officer is lost in fall from boat

A Middlesex County Sheriff's boat patrolled Winthrop Harbor yesterday as part of the effort to find court officer Anthony Tufo, 60, of Quincy, who reportedly fell out of his motorboat Thursday near Winthrop's Deer Island. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

When a prisoner broke free and tried to flee Quincy District Court this spring, court officer Anthony Tufo immediately took off in pursuit. He chased the escapee down the courthouse stairs, then dove headlong to tackle him, crashing into a glass window in his attempt.

The prisoner was quickly apprehended, and Tufo was rushed to the emergency room with lacerations on his head and face. Despite his injuries, he returned to work that same day.

Tufo, 60, of Quincy, who is married with children, was the target of a massive search yesterday in Boston Harbor after he reportedly fell out of a 34-foot motorboat Thursday evening. Co-workers said he was just as devoted to his friends and family as he was to his job.

"He would do anything, for anyone, at any time," said Mark S. Coven, a Quincy District Court judge. "Everyone at the courthouse has a very deep affection for Tony."

While rescuers held out hope for much of yesterday as they scoured the waters around Winthrop's Deer Island, by day's end resignation had set in.

"It's a recovery effort, at this point," said Paul Flanagan, the fire chief in Winthrop, who has known Tufo for 30 years. An 87-foot cutter was expected to search throughout the night, Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell said. At sunrise today, a Jayhawk helicopter was scheduled to fly out to reassess the situation, she said.

Flanagan said Tufo, who ran the Boston Marathon in April and has competed in triathlons, was traveling from the Winthrop Yacht Club to Charlestown when he apparently fell overboard, rescue officials said. Flanagan said Tufo had gone to the ship's bow, shortly after leaving port, to remove the ship's bumpers, and possibly slipped or suffered a heart attack.

"That's the last anyone saw of him," he said. "Anything could have happened, I guess."

Tufo had not been drinking alcohol, Flanagan said, and the seas were relatively calm at the time. The six other passengers on board notified authorities when they realized Tufo was missing, which was probably within a few minutes of the accident, Flanagan said.

Tufo was not wearing a life jacket, rescue officials said, and was not a strong swimmer, according to Flanagan.

But Flanagan said Tufo's fitness and athleticism would have allowed him to make it to safety if healthy, leading the fire chief to believe that he either suffered a heart attack or was pulled under the motorboat.

The boat, named the Nina Maria, was out of Braintree and owned by lawyer Joseph Flaherty, Flanagan said. Flaherty was the spokesman for Rachel Entwistle's family during the recent murder trial of Entwistle's husband, Neil.

Flaherty declined to comment yesterday, as did Tufo's family. Tufo, who is married with children, is the brother-in-law of Norfolk County Sheriff Michael Bellotti.

Tufo's disappearance occurred just before a powerful storm swept through the area, creating rough seas and complicating search efforts. Two small Coast Guard boats and a helicopter postponed their search about 10 p.m. Thursday, while a cutter from Woods Hole continued to search throughout the night.

At dawn yesterday, a Jayhawk helicopter took to the air to search, and vessels from the Coast Guard, the Massachusetts Port Authority, State Police, and fire departments in Quincy, Winthrop, and Hull scoured the waters between Logan Airport and Deer Island.

Well into yesterday afternoon, rescue officials continued to treat the search as a rescue mission, despite the dwindling odds.

"We don't know how he fell off, but we're all just focusing on finding him," said Terrell. "He's in excellent physical condition, and this remains an open, active search."

Flanagan, who met Tufo in the late 1970s working in construction together, went to the Winthrop Yacht Club on Thursday to see Tufo, but narrowly missed him. A short time later, he was helping lead the search effort.

"He was a tremendous guy," he said.